Sunomono are vinegared fish (or shellfish) and vegetables. The fish and shellfish are sprinkled with salt and marinated in vinegar or stock made of sea tangle after being sliced. Sometimes they are grilled or steamed. The vegetables are either blanched, rubbed with salt, boiled, or cooked in stock. All material that has been heated is cooled and then combined in a colourful arrangement. The ingredients are then dressed with vinegar and other condiments. In a kaiseki course the sunomono dish is served in the middle or toward the end of the meal. By refreshing the palette, it enhances the guests' appreciation of the dish to follow.
In restaurant-style kaiseki, courses are served on lacquered trays without legs and are enjoyed one at a time. The menu generally consists of a sakizuki (appetiser), a suimono (clear soup), a mukozuke (usually slices of raw fish), a kuchigawari (palette refresher), a yakimono (something grilled), a nimono (something boiled or simmered), an aizakana (something steamed or deep-fried), a sunomono (something vinegared) and a tomewan (final dish). On the simplest level a kaiseki course consists of one soup and three side dishes (rice and pickles are included but are not numbered among the dishes). Aemono are highly decorative salads designed to complement any of these courses.
